Bell Machine for the Packaging of Products With a Thermoshrinkable; E Monofolding Film

ABSTRACT

A bell machine ( 10 ) for the packaging of products with a thermoshrinkable monofolding film consists of a series of moulded modular elements ( 16,17,18,19,20,21 ), made of a plastic material and which can be assembled with each other by-means of removable coupling means.

The present invention relates to a bell machine for the packaging of products with a thermoshrinkable monofolding film.

The packaging technology of various products inside a monofolding thermoshrinkable film, is known. According to this technology, the product is inserted between two overlying edges defined by a film folded over itself longitudinally; the two edges are welded along a welding perimeter and the film is subsequently heated so that it can shrink over the product.

Various types of packaging machines are also known, which generally consist of a body in which there is a chamber which can be opened and closed from above by means of a bell door, hereinafter simply referred to as bell, hinged to the same body, and provided with a heat source and a fan for the movement of the air heated by said heat source.

On two sides of the upper edge of the chamber, blades are assembled for the cutting and thermowelding of the film. The chamber is also equipped with a supporting surface of the product or products in the packaging phase.

The chamber thus defined forms a single cutting, welding and thermoshrinking space of the film.

The use of these machines envisages that the monofolding film, progressively unwound from a bobbin around which it is wound, is passed with one of its edges above an operating surface (situated outside the chamber) and with another edge underneath the same surface. The product to be packaged is inserted between the operating plane and the upper edge of the monofolding film, and is brought inside the chamber enclosed between the two edges of the film. At this point, the bell is lowered and this contemporaneously causes the activation of the cutting and thermowelding blades, the heat source resistances and the hot air circulation fan.

The monofolding film is thus cut and welded around the product, forming a closed casing, and is shrunk thereon due to the hot air circulation inside the chamber and the bell.

If the thermoshrinking of the film around the product is not desired, the resistances and air circulation fan are switched off, obtaining a product packaged in a casing closed on the perimeter but not thermoshrunk.

The machine is then ready for a subsequent packaging operation, identical to that briefly described above.

The machines of the known type are always made of metal in carpentry.

The consequence of this type of construction is a certain assembly complexity. Furthermore, this type of machine can encounter maintenance problems also due to the complexity of the structure and therefore to the difficulty of intervening where necessary.

A general objective of the present invention is to solve the drawbacks of the known art described above in an extremely simple, economical and particularly functional way.

A further objective is to provide a packaging machine which allows an improved commodity of use.

In view of the above objectives, according to the present invention, a bell machine has been conceived for the packaging of products with a thermoshrinkable monofolding film, consisting of a series of connectable moulded modular elements made of a plastic material, having the characteristics specified in the enclosed claims.

The structural and functional characteristics of the present invention and its advantages with respect to the known art will appear more evident from the following description, referring to the enclosed drawings, which show a bell machine for the packaging of products with a thermoshrinkable monofolding film produced according to the innovative principles of the invention itself.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a bell machine for the packaging of products with a thermoshrinkable monofolding film according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bell machine of FIG. 1, with the different modular elements of which it is formed, separate from each other;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bell machine of FIG. 1, partially assembled;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bell machine of FIG. 1, partially assembled;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bell machine of FIG. 1, partially assembled;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bell machine of FIG. 1, partially assembled;

FIG. 7 is a partially sectional perspective view of a detail of the bell machine of FIG. 1.

With reference to FIG. 1, a bell machine for the packaging of products with a thermoshrinkable monofolding film according to the present invention is indicated as a whole with 10.

The machine 10 has a body 11, inside which there is a chamber, covered by a bell 12, hinged on one side to the body 11. The opening and closing of the bell 12 are facilitated by a handle 13 situated on the side of the bell opposite to the hinging side.

To the side of the bell 12, on the side of the body 11 from which the monofolding film is unwound, there is an operating surface 14. The machine also comprises a control panel 15.

With reference to FIGS. 2-6, these show how the bell machine 10 and particular the body 11 consist of a series of substantially box-shaped connectable modular elements, respectively called chamber module 16, base module 17, bobbin module 18, service module 19, operating module 20 and bell module 21, which will be illustrated in more detail further on in the description. The modular elements are produced by the moulding of plastic materials and are all equipped with a box-shaped body.

More specifically, the chamber module 16 is the main module of the machine 10, in which, on the upper portion, there is a chamber 22, in turn equipped with a heat source 23 and an air circulation fan 24 which is heated by said heat source 23.

Blades 25 and 26, longitudinal and transversal respectively, are assembled on two sides of the upper edge of the chamber 22, for the cutting and thermowelding of the film (the corresponding contrasting counter-blades present on the bell 12, are not shown). Two hinges 27 are assembled on the rear side of the upper edge of the chamber 22, on which the bell 12 is hinged.

The structure of the chamber module 16 is basically of the box-shaped type, open at the bottom and delimited, on the sides exposed to the outside of the machine 10, by perimetric walls 28.

The base module 17 also substantially consists of a box-shaped structure, open at the top however, whose sides exposed towards the outside of the machine 10 are delimited by perimetric walls 29. On the upper portion of the perimetric walls 29 of the base module 17 there is an upper edge 30 folded towards the outside, whose form follows that of the overlying perimetric walls 28 of the chamber module 16 and on which there are a series of pass-through holes 31, corresponding to holes present on the lower edge of said perimetric walls 28 of the chamber module 16. Said holes allow the insertion of screws 32 (FIG. 7) for removably coupling the chamber module 16 and the base module 17 with each other, with easy access from the outside to the screws 32.

Between the perimetric walls 28, 29 of the chamber module 16 and the base module 17, there is a space 33 for the housing of various service components of the machine, such as for example the motor of the fan 24. The bobbin module 18 is destined for housing the bobbin 34 of the monofolding film. The structure of the bobbin module 18 comprises perimetric walls 35 on the front and rear side only, both of said walls having an upper edge 36 folded towards the outside, on which there are a series of pass-through holes 37, for coupling with the service module 19, having the same function as the holes 31 of the perimetric walls of the base module 16. The bobbin module 18 also comprises a folded edge 38, equipped with pass-through holes 39, for coupling with the base module 16. Finally, the bobbin module 18 is open on the side folded towards the outside of the machine 1, to facilitate the insertion and substitution of the bobbin 34.

The service module 19 comprises an upper surface on which there is a space 40, for facilitating the passage of the lower edge of the monofolding film. The service module 19 has a box-shaped body open at the bottom, delimited on the front and rear sides by perimetric walls 41, on whose lower edge there are holes (not shown) for housing coupling screws with the bobbin module 18.

The service module 19 comprises a protruding portion 42, equipped with coupling means of the service module 19 with the chamber module 16.

The operating module 20 consists of the operating surface 14, on which the items to be packaged between the edges of the monofolding film are positioned.

Finally, the bell module 21 consists of the bell 12 and handle 13, in addition to the hinging seats (not shown) of the bell module 21 on the hinges 27 of the chamber module 16.

FIGS. 3-6 illustrate subsequent assembly phases of the various modules which form the machine 10.

FIG. 7 shows a partially sectional perspective view of the machine 10, in particular a portion of the chamber module 16 and the base module 17 coupled, seen from the back.

The figure illustrates the arrangement of the internal spaces, showing a chamber 22 and the underlying space 33, in addition to the coupling of the two modules. A sectional view is in fact provided of a side wall 28 of the chamber module 16 and a side wall 29 of the base module and it is possible to see how the fold 30 forms a coupling surface between said walls, through removable coupling means, in particular of the screws 32.

It is evident from the above description with reference to the figures that a bell machine according to the invention is particularly useful and advantageous. As each moulded modular element has a rather complex structure and consequently the number of pieces to be assembled is extremely reduced, the assembly and possible dismantling of the packaging machine according to the present invention are in fact particularly facilitated, with evident lower production costs.

Furthermore, as practically all of the machine is made of a plastic material, in the case of the dispersion of an electric element, there is no risk of the operator receiving an electric current.

A plastic material which can be used for the production of the machine according to the invention is that known on the market as “BAYDUR”, as, in addition to the mechanical characteristics suitable for the purpose, it also has an excellent resistance at high temperatures up to approximately 135° C.

The objective specified in the introduction to the description has thus been achieved.

The production by moulding of the various modular elements also gives the product a particularly pleasant appearance for this type of machine.

The forms of the bell machine of the invention, as also the materials, can naturally differ from those shown for purely illustrative and non-limiting purposes in the drawings.

The protection scope of the invention is therefore delimited by the enclosed claims. 

1. A bell machine (10) for the packaging of products with a thermoshrinkable monofolding film characterized in that it consists of a series of moulded modular elements, made of a plastic material and which can be assembled with each other by means of removable coupling means.
 2. The bell machine (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises: a chamber module (16), consisting of a box-shaped body open at the bottom and on whose upper surface there is a chamber (22); a base module (17), consisting of a box-shaped body open at the top, which, together with said bell module (16), defines a space (33) for housing the service components of the machine; a bobbin module (18), consisting of a box-shaped body open at the top, and a service module (19), consisting of a box-shaped body open at the bottom, which form a housing space for a bobbin (34) of monofolding film; an operating module (20), substantially consisting of an operating surface (14); and a bell module (21), substantially consisting of a bell (12).
 3. The bell machine (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said removable coupling elements are screws.
 4. The bell machine (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said moulded modular elements are made of a preferred material. 